By the time Qiao Suluo and Bai Qianluo returned home, it was already dusk.
They returned with a bountiful harvest. The two bamboo baskets weren’t enough to hold everything, so she had packed the peach blossom petals and walnuts into sacks to carry back.
Hearing the commotion, Que Hongjin knew they were back and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just moments ago, he hadn’t been able to stop himself from worrying. When he realized he was actually feeling this way, he found it hard to believe.
After a busy afternoon, Que Hongjin had already finished nine cloth dolls, and another one was almost done. He had been a bit slow at first, but as he grew more practiced, his speed increased.
Setting aside his work, Que Hongjin walked out of the house. Seeing Qiao Suluo and Bai Qianluo back, he stepped forward and asked, "Wife, is there anything you need my help with?"
Hearing his voice, Qiao Suluo finally remembered he was still at home. Her attention had been so entirely focused on the ingredients that she had almost forgotten about him. Snapping back to reality, she replied mildly, "Oh, it’s fine. You’ve already worked hard making the dolls. I’ll handle all of this."
"I’m almost done. There’s only one left, and I’ll finish sewing it shortly," he said.
Qiao Suluo, who was in the middle of taking the Konjac out of the basket, paused and looked up at him. "You made nine of them in one afternoon?" She was amazed by his speed, which was much faster than her own.
"If you are worried, Wife, you can inspect them first. If anything is poorly made, I can fix it."
Qiao Suluo shook her head. "No need, I’m sure there’s no problem with your work." She looked at him with shining eyes. His skill was fantastic—he was practically a walking sewing machine! Flashing him what she thought was a gentle and kind smile, she added, "Thank you for your hard work."
Watching the shift in her expression and the gleam in her eyes, Que Hongjin felt a bit helpless. He truly didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t looking at him right now; she was looking at his working capacity. Her smile was entirely due to his speed at making dolls.
"It’s not hard work," he said. "Let me help you with whatever needs to be done right now. I’ll finish that last doll later; it won’t take long."
Qiao Suluo nodded, realizing he made a fair point. Otherwise, she really wouldn’t be able to manage so many tasks all at once.
She walked over to the bucket where the soybeans were soaking, scooped up a handful, and gave them a squeeze. Finding that they were properly softened, she asked, "Could I trouble you to go to the mill and grind the soybeans?" They didn’t have a stone mill at home, but there was a communal one in the village. If anything needed grinding, they had to go there. "Just grind them into soy milk and bring it back," she added. "That way, we can make tofu tonight."
"Alright."
Although he had no idea what she planned to do with the ground soybeans, Que Hongjin agreed without hesitation. With that, he gathered the items and headed to the mill.
Afterward, Bai Qianluo helped prep the Konjac while Qiao Suluo got ready to make steamed buns.
She went inside to check and found that the dough she had kneaded at noon had fully risen. She then began to prepare the filling. First, she minced the pork belly she had bought. Since they had already eaten some of the two pounds she purchased, she used her points to redeem some more minced meat from the Space Mall and mixed it in...
Once the water in the pot boiled, she tossed in the washed locust flowers, blanched them for a minute, then scooped them out and squeezed out the excess water...
She seasoned the mixture of locust flowers, chopped scallions, and meat, stirred it evenly, and began stuffing the buns. She made extra to give to some of the villagers. They had previously brought her food—though it wasn’t much, it was considered a decent amount for the villagers, and it was the thought that counted. She planned to give each of those households two meat buns. She knew that too much generosity could breed entitlement, so two buns per family should be just right.
Once assembled, she steamed them in two large pots simultaneously, with each pot containing two large tiers of buns.
After finishing part of the Konjac prep, Bai Qianluo came over to help tend the fire. While he managed the stove, Qiao Suluo continued working on the Konjac. The Konjac had sold very well today, so she wanted to make more of it to hopefully earn extra money tomorrow. She also needed to buy some glutinous rice the next day so she could use the peach blossom petals and glutinous rice to brew Peach Blossom Brew.
When the pots in the kitchen began to steam, Qiao Suluo caught the fresh, appetizing aroma of the locust flower buns. Having worked for half the afternoon, she was genuinely feeling hungry now.
Just then, Que Hongjin returned, carrying the freshly ground soy milk.
"Wife, is this the right consistency?"
Qiao Suluo nodded. "Yes, exactly like that. Thank you for your hard work."
Que Hongjin shook his head. He hadn’t found the task tiring at all; instead, he had found the aroma of the soy milk incredibly tempting while grinding the beans. Fortunately, the mill was tucked away in a corner of the village, so no one had noticed anything. He realized that ordinary soaked soybeans could produce such fragrant soy milk.
"We’ll boil the soy milk to drink tonight," she said. Having steamed buns paired with soy milk would make for a delicious meal.
After letting the buns rest in the steaming pots for a while, Qiao Suluo stepped into the kitchen and reached for the lid. Que Hongjin, who happened to walk in at that moment, saw her hurrying. He quickly reached out and pulled her behind him. "Careful, don’t get scalded by the steam."
With that, he carefully lifted the lid bit by bit. "If you need to pack the buns, let me do it," he offered. The buns were scalding hot right out of the pot, and knowing Qiao Suluo was in a hurry, he decided to handle it himself. She had mentioned earlier that she wanted to distribute some once they were done. Still, he had to admit, the freshly steamed buns smelled incredibly fragrant.
Qiao Suluo said, "Eight households in the village brought us things before, so we’ll give each family two buns."
Understanding her intention, Que Hongjin said, "Alright, I’ll go deliver them."
"Yes, and while you’re at it, let them know that locust flowers can be cooked and eaten just like wild vegetables," Qiao Suluo instructed. Pausing for a moment, she added, "I’ll also pack twelve buns and take them to my parents and brothers."
Through her predecessor’s memories, she knew this body had biological parents and three older brothers. The eldest brother had already married out, leaving the second and third brothers at home. Her biological mother was the tribe’s chief, but the Cat Clan Tribe was located in a remote area with poor conditions. Even as the chief, her mother lived a very frugal life. Yet after the original owner returned, her family treated her with absolute devotion. They saved their own rations for her to eat, and she had even squandered the engagement silver intended for her second brother’s marriage. Despite all this, the original owner constantly despised and berated them. Because of this, even though they wanted to treat her well, they didn’t dare get close to her. Recalling those memories, Qiao Suluo’s heart ached with sympathy, so she planned to bring them some buns.
In the Beast World Continent, it was generally the female beasts who took husbands and inherited the family estate, while male beasts usually married out.
Hearing Qiao Suluo’s words, both Que Hongjin and Bai Qianluo paused their movements. Que Hongjin’s expression shifted several times. A hint of astonishment flickered in his elegant eyes, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. However, when he looked down at her face, he found that she was completely serious. In the past, she had loathed her parents and brothers the most, despising their lowly origins and claiming they only brought her shame. The insults she hurled at her brothers had been incredibly harsh.
Que Hongjin quickly concealed his surprise and said softly, "Alright."
He packed the buns into a clean basket and handed it to her.
"Then I’ll leave the deliveries to the other families to you two."
"Don’t worry."
Basket in hand, Qiao Suluo headed to her parents’ house. She lived quite far from them; her home was in the northern part of the village, while her parents lived at the very front of the village, on the front street near the entrance.
But as she approached with her basket, she heard a sharp, furious scolding.
"Take a look at what kind of family you are! What good is the second son of a rundown tribe’s chief? And you still dream of clinging to my Lü family! We treated you with respect, and you threw it back in our faces. We spoke to you nicely about breaking off the engagement and asked you to return the engagement silver, yet you still refuse to hand it over...
"Let me tell you, Miss Lü is marrying an educated Beast Husband! Even if your Qiao Er was willing to be a concubine, she wouldn’t want him!"